I love playing the same teams in the playoffs each year. Most of the best rivalries were forged this way. It should be a blast to get some hate in on Boston, Buffalo, Toronto, and Ottawa. Plus everyone already hates the Habs.

Fans are big winners with every team coming into town every year.

I also like that two teams could play in the semi's one year, an then for the cup the next. With the game times mostly starting in the same time zone, kids will be able to enjoy more games.

My only loss in the changes is Washington only coming to town once. Lightning fans will miss watching Ovie cry.

Sat with Bruce Southern on the way back from Chicago today. He's one of the Jets scouts and has been around for many years. Lots of fun to talk to and about the only way to make a flight on a CRJ200 bearable.

Anyone else watching the Winter Classic today? I've had it on most of the morning so far. I don't know either of the teams too well this year but Flyers and Rangers games are always fun to watch.

As always I was a bit annoyed with some of the classless boobirds in Philly who were booing the Canadian anthem. At least it did seem to die off a bit towards the end, and it seemed like it may have just been a rather loud minority.

Boo on the NHLPA for kiboshing the realignment for another year. I'm happy in the sense we get the eastern teams that would have been out of our division for another year, but I was really looking forward to Chicago and Detroit being in our division.

Sat with Bruce Southern on the way back from Chicago today. He's one of the Jets scouts and has been around for many years. Lots of fun to talk to and about the only way to make a flight on a CRJ200 bearable.

Sat with Bruce Southern on the way back from Chicago today. He's one of the Jets scouts and has been around for many years. Lots of fun to talk to and about the only way to make a flight on a CRJ200 bearable.

In Chicago and didn't even bother to call?

Only from 6 A.M. to 9 A.M. and it was pretty close to your wedding. Just a stopover on the way back from Hawaii. If it helps, I thought about you.

not only still the best in the West, but kings of the NHL baby! Seriously - 17 wins, 37pts? Crazy - still not expecting this run to last the whole year, but it's been month and the Wild are still playing like they can't lose.

I know we were playing above our station quite a bit during our run in December, but man injuries have just killed us this year - Koivu, Bouchard (again), Lantendress, etc. We made some nice trades at the deadline to get some new parts for next year, but there is a fair amount of work yet to be done before we're a real team...

We haven't been quite so depressing but we have proven we are the Atlanta Thrashers still.

Huge game tomorrow night against Florida. And yeah, I didn't think Florida was a likely choice to win the SouthEast division either. In fact, the game tonight was my second last pick (Ottawa was my last pick) of ten games for our season tickets. Instead of being a 'blech, Panthers' this game is a huge four point swing one way or the other.

I will clarify to say I'm ok with not making the playoffs this year (holy crap are tickets expensive!) but it would still be really fun if the Jets could with the SouthEast title so we could hang that banner from the rafters.

Also really digging the trade we made with Chicago for Oduya. Dumping a guy in the last year of his four year deal for a 2nd and a 3rd round pick this year? Genius. Especially if that guy hasn't nearly justified his salary as Oduya did not. I do hope it works out for Chicago, but I don't think it was a good deal for them.

I think all those games in hand FLA has on Winnipeg and a talented and heating up Washington will keep that banner somewhere else. Great story this year though. and much more fun to watch than the empty seat backs in ATL.

Oh yeah, I agree. The chances of Winnipeg hanging that banner are really slim. We have three games with each of Florida and Tampa plus two (or maybe three) with each of Washington and Carolina. We'd need to win pretty much all of them to hang that banner and that's doubtful. But it would look funny.

Young team, lots of draft picks this year, hopefully Scheifele is ready next year.

That arena though? It seriously rocks in there. Don't go home every game feeling like I was at a concert, but some of them, yeah, loud as a rock 'n roll show. Good ringing in the ears after the Bruins game.

It really is going to be quite the exciting month or so for the rest of the season. I really hope my Avs can keep up the momentum they have going and take a playoff spot. They may be the youngest team in the NHL right now, but with the talent they have, they need to find away to get past that and make the playoffs.